J P Lawrence
The roll of honour states that J.P.Lawrence was killed in action on the 6th May 1915. The War Graves Commission records that Private James Philip Lawrence was killed on that date. He was a member of "B" Coy. 1st/5th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment, service number 3389. He is buried in buried at R.E. Farm Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. His head stone records ‘Son of Joseph and Isabella Lawrence, of Rocklands, Milton, Stoke-on-Trent. Born at Aberdeen’

He was born in 1895 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the eldest son on Joseph and Isabella Lawrence. The 1901 census records the family living Oxford St Giles, Oxfordshire, moving to Milton, Staffordshire by the 1911 census. His occupation was given as apprentice fitter and he joined the army in 1914 at the age of 19 years giving his place of residence as Milton, Stoke-on-Trent.
There appears no obvious connection with Mackworth, but even more curious is the fact that James appears on yet another war memorial in Ilford. His name is recorded on St. Clement’s Church Memorial and furthermore, to have his name on the memorial, he would have had to attend that church on a regular attenders. The website for St Clement’s states ‘The criteria for inclusion on the St. Clement’s memorial was that the deceased must have been an active member of the congregation - something which led to the exclusion of some of the fallen sons’ of church members.’

Back to Memorial